Pain guide · Wrist and hand pain

Broken or jammed finger: buddy strapping, the warning signs and exercises to stop it stiffening

A ball, a fall or a door can break a finger bone or sprain a finger joint, and you often can't tell which without an X-ray. Most heal without surgery, usually with the finger strapped to its neighbour and kept moving: stiffness, not the break itself, is the main risk.

Two things need urgent help: a finger that points the wrong way or crosses its neighbour when you make a fist, and a cut or crush over the break. This page explains buddy strapping, the stages from the first days to full grip with a 3D demo of each move, and what a UK trial found about surgery.

3-stage exercise plan When to get help 32 sourcesUpdated 21 October 2026

When to get help first

Exercise is for pain that has been checked or is clearly mild and settling.

Get urgent medical help if

Call 999 or go to A&E after an injury (don't drive yourself) if the arm, wrist or hand is numb, tingling or has pins and needles; a bone is sticking out or a bad cut is bleeding heavily; or the wrist, thumb or a finger has changed shape, is at an odd angle, or has turned blue, grey, white or cold.
Call 999 or go to A&E: sudden, severe pain in a muscle of the forearm or hand, especially after an injury or when a cast or bandage feels too tight. It can be compartment syndrome.
Same day: a cut over the injured finger, or a crushed fingertip with a cut or a torn nail. The break may be open to the skin and need cleaning out. Go to A&E if you lose feeling near the cut or have trouble moving the finger.
Same day: when you curl your fingers into a fist, the injured finger crosses over another or points a different way. Contact your fracture clinic, or NHS 111 or A&E if you haven't been seen yet: the bone may have twisted and need setting or surgery.
Same day (NHS 111): the pain in your finger is severe; you feel faint, dizzy or sick from the pain; you heard a snap, grinding or popping noise when it happened; you can't move the finger or hold things; it has changed shape or colour; you've lost feeling in part or all of your hand; or you feel hot or cold and shivery.
While it's strapped or splinted: the fingertip goes pale, discoloured or cold, loses feeling, or the skin between the strapped fingers breaks down. Loosen the strapping and get advice the same day.
After an operation or a cut: the wound is swollen, red and getting more painful or has pus coming out of it, or you also feel generally unwell or have a high temperature. Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111.
Throbbing pain and swelling in the arm, with red, blue or darker skin and swollen veins: ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111. It could be a blood clot.

See a doctor or physiotherapist if

You're worried the break isn't healing, the pain and swelling haven't started to ease after a few days, or it hurts to use the finger once the strapping or splint is off: see a GP or contact your fracture clinic.
After about 3 weeks of exercises you still can't fully straighten the finger, make a fist or touch each fingertip with your thumb; at 6 weeks you're struggling with work or hobbies; or the finger's movement is getting worse 6 weeks after the injury: contact your fracture clinic or hand therapist.
After a stubbing injury, the middle joint won't straighten on its own: it may be a torn tendon (a boutonnière injury), which can look like a sprain for days or weeks but is splinted differently, so get it checked.
A child who can't make a fist, straighten the finger or wiggle each joint 6 weeks after the injury, or still has significant pain or swelling then: contact the hospital that saw them.
Pain that is getting worse instead of better, swelling with fingers that are hard to bend, skin that is shiny, red or very sensitive to touch, or a hand that doesn't feel like yours: contact your fracture clinic or physiotherapist promptly. These can be early signs of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and early treatment helps.
You have diabetes and a hand problem: the NHS says hand problems can be more serious if you have diabetes.

Understand it

What a broken or jammed finger is

Each finger has three bones (phalanges; the thumb has two) and three joints: the knuckle, the middle joint and the end joint. A broken finger can be a crack, a break across or along a bone, a break into a joint, a small flake of bone pulled off by a ligament or tendon, or a crushed fingertip (a tuft fracture).

A jammed finger is usually a sprain of the middle joint, most often of the volar plate, the strong ligament on the palm side that stops the joint bending backwards. It can pull off a small flake of bone, which is treated like the sprain, without surgery. A dislocated finger, most often at the middle joint, has come out of joint and is usually put back in A&E, often under local anaesthetic; some dislocations come with a fracture.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Who gets it

Falls, ball sports, crushing in doors or tools, road accidents and fights. In 261 adults with 283 finger fractures at one German trauma centre (average age 40, with 2.7 men for every woman), crushes (33%) and falls (23%) were the commonest causes, the fingertip bone was broken most often (43%), the ring finger was the most often affected, and 74% of the breaks were treated without surgery.

Sources 6, 7, 4

How it's recognised, and two tendon injuries that look like a sprain

Pain, swelling, bruising and difficulty moving the finger; it may change colour or feel numb. The NHS says it can be hard to tell a broken finger from a dislocated or badly sprained one, so you'll probably need an X-ray. A doctor looks at the finger from the end, with the fingers straight and in a fist, to see whether it overlaps its neighbour, points the wrong way or looks short, and checks the tendons and nerves.

A middle joint that can't straighten on its own after a stubbing injury may be a torn tendon on the back of the finger (a boutonnière injury), and the typical bent posture may not appear for days or weeks; it is splinted differently from a sprain. A finger that can't bend, or lies straighter than its neighbours, after a cut or a violent pull may have a torn tendon on the palm side, which won't heal on its own and needs to be seen the same day.

Sources 8, 2, 9, 10, 25

How it's treated: your team's choice

Most closed finger fractures are treated without surgery. UK hand surgery standards say an operation should be chosen only when it will do better than non-surgical care, with early hand therapy either way. Options include buddy strapping, a splint or occasionally a cast; setting a displaced break under local anaesthetic; or an operation for a break that is unstable, twisted, badly displaced, into a joint, or one of several.

A cut over the break (an open fracture) needs same-day review, cleaning and antibiotics, and a crushed fingertip with a cut nail bed usually needs washing out and dressing. Breaks of the thumb, and a torn ligament at the base of the thumb (skier's thumb), are managed differently and aren't covered here.

Sources 11, 8, 2, 12, 13, 14

How it heals

Finger fractures usually heal in 6 to 8 weeks, though it can take longer, and it may be 3 to 4 months before full strength returns. Stiffness is common at first and settles with exercise and use; an ache in cold, damp weather, after heavy use or a knock is common and improves with time, and breaks into a joint carry some risk of arthritis later.

A jammed middle joint can stay swollen and a little painful for 1 to 2 years, and some people lose a little straightening. In a UK study of people with finger fractures and joint injuries, their own ratings of hand function improved over 6 months but hadn't got back to how they were before the injury, and in interviews people said the injury affected their lives more than they'd expected.

Sources 8, 7, 4, 15, 16, 17

Children

Children's finger fractures usually heal well. One NHS children's service buddy-straps simple finger and hand fractures full time for 3 weeks and discharges children without follow-up unless problems arise. Research on children's hand fractures is thin: only 3 studies met a 2026 review's criteria. A fingertip crushed in a door is common in children, and if the nail bed is badly damaged it may need an operation under general anaesthetic the same day.

Sources 18, 19, 13

What helps, and how strong the evidence is

Surgery isn't automatically betterEmerging evidence

In the UK POINT trial (24 hospitals, 113 adults with a break along the shaft of the finger's first bone), hand function at 6 months was no better after surgery than with a splint: 27.1 against 25 on a scale from 11 to 77, where higher is worse, with no differences at 6 weeks or 3 months. Surgery brought more complications and cost more, with only a 3.2% chance of being good value for the NHS. The trial recruited fewer people than planned, so it couldn't show the two are equal, only that surgery wasn't better.

Sources 20, 6, 11

Moving early is safe for stable breaksEmerging evidence

In a study of 101 breaks of the finger's first bone that were stable, or had been set without surgery, people moved the finger straight away; at about 7 weeks they had nearly full straightening of the middle joint, good overall movement and little pain. Fingers with a twist that couldn't be corrected or a marked bend were left out. UK hand surgeons say moving straight away is often the simplest treatment, and that stiffness is the main risk of keeping a finger still.

Sources 21, 7, 11

A jammed middle joint: strapping and early movement, though the trials are oldMixed evidence

A Cochrane review found 3 trials (366 people) of a middle joint bent backwards, comparing moving freely, protected movement and keeping the joint still (and 1 week against 3 weeks of keeping it still). None found differences at 6 months, or at 3 years for moving freely, but all were over 15 years old and at high or unclear risk of bias, so the evidence is insufficient. The British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) advises buddy strapping or a splint on the back of the finger for about 3 weeks, with hook and fist exercises from the start.

Sources 22, 4

Buddy strapping: trials in children, practice in adultsEmerging evidence

In children, two small trials led by one children's hospital team in Zurich (99 and 81 children) found buddy taping held finger fractures that didn't involve a joint as well as a splint, including displaced breaks after they'd been set, and it was more comfortable and cheaper.

We found no adult trials of buddy strapping for finger fractures (the adult trials are of breaks in the hand bones, covered in the broken hand guide), so for adults it rests on BSSH and NHS practice: loose strapping to the neighbouring finger for about 2 to 3 weeks, with movement from the start.

Sources 23, 24, 4, 25, 3

The exercises: consistent NHS advice, little testedEmerging evidence

No trial in adults has compared exercise timings after a finger fracture. NHS and BSSH leaflets agree on the pattern: bend and straighten all the finger joints and touch the thumb to each fingertip from the first days, the full set of tendon glides once the strapping or splint is off, and single-joint bends from about 3 weeks. In 120 children, an exercise handout was as good as hand therapy sessions for getting a full fist back after a cast, though the result for overall finger movement was unclear.

Sources 3, 1, 4, 26

How much pain is OK while you exercise?

About 5 out of 10, and never forcedEmerging evidence

This rule is borrowed from an NHS wrist fracture programme: some discomfort is fine, up to about 5 out of 10, settling within about 30 minutes and no worse the next morning. The finger leaflets add: don't force the movement and work within your limits, and keep the exercises within a comfortable range; they should get easier over time.

A jammed middle joint often stays swollen for months, so swelling alone isn't a reason to stop if the movement is improving. Strapping should be comfortable: tingling, or a fingertip that goes pale or changes colour, means it's too tight.

Sources 27, 3, 4, 25, 18

The exercise plan: 3 stages

Start at the first stage. Each move opens a full guide with a 3D demo.

Stage 1

Strapped or splinted: keep every finger moving

As your team allows, from the first days. Buddy-strap the finger loosely to its neighbour (steps below), and re-strap it if it comes off. Take off rings, keep the hand raised, and use a cold pack wrapped in a towel for 15 to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours for the first few days. Rest the hand a little for 48 hours, then use it for light tasks such as dressing and eating. Every day, make a fist and check the finger doesn't cross its neighbour. Touch your thumb to each fingertip in turn, 5 times (written steps below).

Tendon glides (hand tendon gliding exercises) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoTendon glides (hand tendon gliding exercises)Beginner · No equipment

Hook, then full fist, 10 times, 4 to 6 times a day · In the strapping, within a comfortable range. The BSSH's dose for a jammed finger

Harder: Ball squeeze

Wrist & forearm flow demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoWrist & forearm flowBeginner · No equipment

10 slow repetitions, 3 times a day · The wrist isn't injured, so keep it moving. Editorial dose

Harder: Wrist flexor stretch

Breath reach demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoBreath reachBeginner · No equipment

5 slow breaths, several times a day · Lifting the hand above your heart helps the swelling

Move on when: The pain is settling and your team says the strapping can come off, often at about 3 weeks.

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 2

Strapping off: get the movement back

As your team allows, usually from about 3 weeks. Use the hand normally for light tasks. Add single-joint bends, holding the finger still just below the joint you want to move (written steps below). If a joint stays bent, hold it in a straighter position for 10 seconds; gentle massage can help too. Still no heavy gripping, manual work or contact sport.

3D demoTendon glides (hand tendon gliding exercises)Beginner · No equipment

Each position 10 times every 2 to 3 hours, holding 10 to 20 s · Straight, hook, full fist, tabletop and straight fist. An NHS leaflet's dose

Harder: Ball squeeze

Band finger extension demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoBand finger extensionBeginner · A band

2 sets of 10 with a light band · Editorial dose

Easier: Ball squeeze · Harder: Plate pinch

Ball squeeze demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoBall squeezeBeginner · Other / check instructions

A soft ball, 5 s holds, 10 times · Editorial dose

Harder: Band finger extension

Move on when: You can straighten the finger fully, make a full fist and touch each fingertip with your thumb. If you can't after 3 weeks of exercises, contact your team.

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 3

Strength and full use

As your team allows, usually from about 6 weeks. Heavy manual work and full contact sport after at least 6 weeks in one NHS leaflet. Grip work 2 to 3 times a week. Swelling and an ache in the cold can take months to settle. The doses are editorial.

3D demoBall squeezeBeginner · Other / check instructions

2 to 3 sets of 10, 5 s holds, with a firmer ball

Harder: Band finger extension

3D demoBand finger extensionBeginner · A band

2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15

Easier: Ball squeeze · Harder: Plate pinch

Wrist curls demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoWrist curlsBeginner · A dumbbell

2 sets of 10 to 15, light

Easier: Wrist-extensor eccentrics · Harder: Plate pinch

Farmer's carry demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoFarmer's carryBeginner · A dumbbell + A kettlebell

3 walks of 20 to 30 m, light · Only as heavy as you can grip without pain

Harder: Suitcase carry

Move on when: Your grip is close to the other hand's. The grip strength workout takes it from here.

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

What to change for now

Buddy strapping, step by step

Your team may give you a splint instead; follow what they give you.

1. Take any rings off that hand first.
2. Put a small piece of cotton wool or gauze between the injured finger and the one next to it.
3. Tape the two fingers loosely together, with the tape on the parts between the joints so the joints can still bend.
4. Re-strap it if it comes off, and check the skin between the fingers every day.
5. If the finger tingles, goes pale or changes colour, the strapping is too tight: loosen it, and get advice if it doesn't settle.

Sources 25, 4, 18, 8

Typical timings, which your team may change

These come from NHS leaflets and the BSSH, and they differ a little. Your own team's plan comes first.

Strapping or splint: for comfort, usually about 2 to 3 weeks, with the fingers moving from the start.
From about 3 weeks: try not to use the strapping, and add single-joint bends (one leaflet).
The break usually heals in about 4 to 8 weeks; normal activities from about 6 weeks.
Heavy manual work and full contact sport: after at least 6 weeks.
Driving: once the strapping or splint is off and you can grip, use all the controls and do an emergency stop. Check with your insurer.
Still significant pain and swelling at about 12 weeks: contact your GP or fracture clinic.

Sources 3, 1, 4, 8

Thumb touches and single-joint bends (written steps)

Our 3D figure doesn't show these yet. Thumb touches start in the first days; single-joint bends start from about 3 weeks, as your team allows. The NHS leaflets give the movements; the steps below spell them out.

1. Thumb touches: touch the tip of your thumb to the tip of each finger in turn, 5 times, several times a day.
2. For the bends, sit with your forearm resting on a table, palm up and fingers relaxed.
3. Middle joint: with the thumb and index finger of your other hand, hold the injured finger just below its middle joint, so the big knuckle can't bend.
4. Bend the middle joint as far as is comfortable, pause, then straighten it fully.
5. End joint: move your grip up to hold the middle part of the finger, so the middle joint stays straight. Bend the end joint, pause, then straighten it fully.
6. Go slowly, about 5 of each joint, a few times a day, starting and finishing with the finger as straight as you can. Never force it.

Sources 3, 1

Children: one NHS children's service's advice

Your child's hospital may give different advice; theirs comes first.

The first 3 weeks: buddy strapping all the time, checking the skin between the fingers every day, and bending and straightening the fingers even in the strapping.
School straight away, but no physical education (PE), contact sport or rough play such as trampolines and bouncy castles for 3 weeks.
Weeks 3 to 6: strapping only at school or when the finger might be knocked, cutting down until about 4 weeks. Make a fist and fully straighten the fingers at least 10 times, 3 to 4 times a day.
Ball and contact sports: not until at least 4 to 6 weeks; normal sport from 4 weeks if there's no pain and the movement is normal.
Go back straight away for severe pain that painkillers don't control, a fingertip that goes pale, discoloured or cold, no feeling in the fingertip, or broken skin between the fingers.

Source 18

Positions to swap, and why

Habit or position	Why it matters	Instead
Strapping too tight, or over the joints	It should be loose, with padding between the fingers and the tape between the joints so they can bend.	Re-strap it with cotton wool or gauze between the fingers.
Keeping rings on	Swelling can trap them.	Take them off straight away.
Keeping the finger still until it stops hurting	Stiffness is the main risk; the NHS says don't stop using the finger completely.	A hook and a full fist, little and often.Try: Tendon glides (hand tendon gliding exercises)
Forcing a stiff finger straight or bent	NHS leaflets say don't force it; work within your limits.	Gentle glides and single-joint bends, and hold a bent joint straighter for 10 s.Try: Tendon glides (hand tendon gliding exercises)
Pulling a dislocated finger back yourself	Some dislocations come with a fracture; they're usually put back in A&E, often under local anaesthetic.	Tape it to its neighbour, raise the hand and get seen.
Heat packs or hot baths in the first 2 to 3 days	NHS advice after an injury.	A cold pack wrapped in a towel.
Heavy gripping, manual work or contact sport before about 6 weeks	One NHS leaflet advises waiting at least 6 weeks.	A soft ball and light tasks.Try: Ball squeeze
Ignoring a finger that crosses its neighbour in a fist	It may have twisted and need setting or surgery.	Check your fist every day, and contact your clinic the same day if it does.
Going back to ball sports as soon as the strapping comes off	One NHS leaflet advises at least 6 weeks before full contact sport, and children's advice is at least 4 to 6 weeks.	Buddy tape it to its neighbour for protection when you go back (our suggestion).

Routines to follow

Grip strength workout: squeezes, curls, carries and hangs

A 20-minute grip session: warm up the wrists and fingers, train the hand and forearm muscles, then carry and hang to load your grip the way everyday life does.

20 minBeginner10 movesOther / check instructions, A band

Wrist and forearm routine

Wrist mobility and forearm strength for desk work, climbing, push-ups and handstands.

10 minBeginner7 movesA wall, A dumbbell

More moves for this area

Questions people ask

How do I know if my finger is broken?

It's likely to be painful, swollen, bruised and hard to move, and it may change colour or feel numb. You often can't tell a break from a dislocation or a bad sprain without an X-ray, so get help from NHS 111, or go to A&E if the finger is at an odd angle, blue or numb, or bone is showing.

Is my finger broken or jammed?

A jammed finger is usually a sprain of the middle joint, often of the volar plate on the palm side, sometimes with a small flake of bone pulled off. Both are often treated the same way, with buddy strapping and early movement, but an X-ray decides which it is.

Should I buddy tape my finger, and how?

Usually yes, for about 2 to 3 weeks: tape it loosely to the finger next to it, with cotton wool or gauze between them and the tape between the joints so they can still bend. In adults this rests on hand surgeons' and NHS practice rather than trials; in children, two small trials found buddy taping as good as a splint. If the finger tingles, goes pale or changes colour, loosen it and get advice.

How long does a broken finger take to heal?

Usually 6 to 8 weeks, though it can take longer, and 3 to 4 months for your strength to come back. Swelling after a jammed finger can last a year or two.

Should I move a broken finger?

Yes, gently and as your team allows: stiffness is the main risk, and moving early is often the simplest treatment. Bend and straighten within a comfortable range, and don't force it.

Will I need surgery for a broken finger?

Usually not. In a UK trial, surgery for breaks along the finger's first bone gave no better hand function than a splint, with more complications. Surgery is for breaks that are unstable, twisted, into a joint or open to the skin.

What exercises help after a broken or jammed finger?

In the strapping: a hook and a full fist, about 10 times, 4 to 6 times a day, and touching your thumb to each fingertip. From about 3 weeks: the full set of tendon glides and single-joint bends, as your team allows.

Why is my finger still swollen months after the injury?

Swelling around an injured finger joint often lasts months, and after a volar plate injury it can last 1 to 2 years. It doesn't mean something is wrong if the movement is improving; ask for help if the movement is getting worse.

My finger points the wrong way when I make a fist. Is that a problem?

Yes: it may have twisted as it broke and need setting or surgery. Contact your fracture clinic the same day, or NHS 111 or A&E if you haven't been seen.

When can I play sport again?

Heavy manual work and full contact sport usually wait at least 6 weeks; for children, ball and contact sports wait at least 4 to 6 weeks. Buddy taping it to its neighbour can protect the finger when you go back.

My child has broken a finger. What should I do?

Simple finger fractures are often buddy-strapped full time for 3 weeks. Children can go to school straight away but avoid PE, contact sport and trampolines for the first 3 weeks. Go back straight away if the fingertip goes pale, cold or numb, or the skin between the fingers breaks down.

I dislocated my finger. What happens next?

It's usually put back in A&E, often under local anaesthetic, then splinted or strapped for a few weeks with exercises. Most simple dislocations get back to normal function, though some stiffness can remain.

Other pain guides

Sources

Exercise education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. It is written from the guidelines and studies listed above; review by a clinician is pending. If your pain follows an injury, is severe, is getting worse, or comes with any warning sign listed on this page, get it assessed. Health disclaimer.